A slide fastener is used to secure two pieces of fabric or other flexible material. A slide fastener includes a slider that engages with elements located on tapes to open and close the slide fastener. When the slider is moved along the tape, a generally Y-shaped channel meshes together rows of opposing elements of the tapes to close the slide fastener. When the slider is moved in the opposite direction, the generally Y-shaped channel separates the rows of opposing elements to open the slide fastener.
An open-ended zipper often includes a box and pin mechanism at one end of the tapes to align the slider properly with respect to the elements of the two tapes so that the slide fastener may open and close properly. The other end of the tapes may include a top stop, which receives the slider when in the closed position and prevents the slider from sliding off the ends of the tapes.
Existing open-end slide fasteners are made water and air tight by adding a separate box component to the tapes and attaching the separate box component using an additional component such as a screw or other mechanical fastener mechanism, as disclosed in EP 1481601 filed Sep. 6, 2004. The separate box component is installed after the slide fastener has been manufactured by a screwing operation that is complex and labor intensive. Moreover, there is a possibility that the separate component can be lost or damaged. When the slide fastener is attached to a garment, the separate component in turn needs to be attached to the garment by caulking or other suitable method, which is also complex and labor intensive.